


I Was Not Worried

by pickleinspectorgadget



Category: Dragon Age (Video Games), Dragon Age - All Media Types, Dragon Age: Origins
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst with a Happy Ending, F/M, Fluff and Angst
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-02-04
Updated: 2016-02-04
Packaged: 2018-05-18 04:35:14
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,175
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5898469
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/pickleinspectorgadget/pseuds/pickleinspectorgadget
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The blight brought Alistair and the warden together, but duty tore them from each other.</p>
            </blockquote>





	I Was Not Worried

**Author's Note:**

> I'm terrible when it comes to summaries and tagging shit so I apologize. This ended up a lot more Alistair/Warden than I intended it to be.

How did it end up like this? Terra Cousland stood with her face buried in her Qunari companion’s chest, tears dampening his shirt and nails tearing small holes in the back, her other companions offering gentle words of comfort and pats from all sides. The Qunari embraced her tighter and gently stroked her hair with a quiet murmur of “the basras do not deserve your tears, kadan.” His words struck a nerve causing her to tighten her grip on him and let out a loud, muffled wail into his chest.

\--

Several weeks prior, not long before the Landsmeet, there had been discussion of who was to be the next ruler of Ferelden. The warden stood by with crossed arms as Alistair and Anora argued over the throne.

“I was Cailan’s brother, the throne should be mine,” Alistair huffed, puffing his chest slightly. 

“And I was his wife. The queen. I was already ruling,” Anora snipped back, crossing her arms defensively. The warden watched them go back and forth, using the same arguments over and over while getting more frustrated each time. She turned to look at Alistair for a moment, briefly admiring her lover’s increasingly agitated features before placing a gentle hand on his bicep.

“You two are starting to go in circles. Perhaps we should talk about this later,” Terra offered the two a smile as she took her hand back and put it on her hip. “Isn’t it getting close to dinner? We should wash up, don’t you think?”

\--

The subject was brought up again during dinner, Oghren, the bigmouth he is, inquired (with a belch) as to whether or not we had come to a decision. Terra let out a sigh at the grunt that came from the prince seated beside her. She then explained the the two were having… difficulties with the choice, to which the dwarf had the audacity to suggest that they both ruled.

“Y’ both want the throne so why not just rule t’gether?” The potential rulers stared at each other, then at Oghren, and again at each other. Anora let out a quiet “hm” and proceeded to bring a spoonful of the stew before her to her mouth, chewing quietly as she thought about it. Everyone remained silent, waiting for someone to say something. Anything. Anora set her spoon down and folded her hands in her lap.

“That isn’t a terrible idea,” Anora mused.

“It’s a terrible idea,” Alistair spat. “If you haven’t noticed, I’m already quite devoted to someone else,” This caused Terra to chuckle and stare down into her soup. She didn’t want to admit it but it wasn’t a bad idea. She hated herself for merely thinking it. 

\--

That night as they were undressing for bed, the warden turned to her lover as he was crawling into bed. The idea had been gnawing at her since dinner. 

“Maybe…” She started hesitantly. “Maybe Oghren was right for once,” She pulled back the blanket and slowly slid under it, laying down with her back to Alistair. “She was already queen and… and you would be a great king,” She took a deep, wavering breath and closed her eyes. “She would make a better wife and queen than I,”

“Terra…” He frowned and rested a hand on her shoulder though it was shaken off as she pulled the covers over her shoulder. He sighed and laid down, resting his forehead against the back of her neck and a hand on her waist. “I love you, you know that, right?” He asked quietly and pressed his lips against her skin. Terra swallowed and nodded slowly.

“I love you too. Which is why I…” She trailed off, curling in on herself a bit. “I think it would be best if you married Anora,”

“No,” Alistair said firmly as he sat up. “I’m not going to leave you,” 

“Alistair, please-”

“No,” He said louder, his brow furrowing.

“Alistair, just-” He cut her off by pressing her onto her back and pressing his lips to hers. Her eyes widened for a moment before slipping shut, tears beginning to build at the corners of her eyes. When he pulled away, she slowly opened her eyes and stared up at him with a sad smile. “Please marry her,”

His expression shifted from hopeful to hurt as he moved back to his side of the bed and laid down. They slept with their backs turned to each other.

\--

Every night after, Alistair would sit up waiting for his love to come to bed, knowing that she wouldn't. They drifted farther as the Landsmeet drew closer. He would invite her on walks around the castle, offer to spar, tempt her with sweets, but she would always politely decline and walk away with the same pained smile she showed him all those nights ago. It wasn’t long until she had snapped at him and they begun to argue. Low, snide comments muttered under breathes as their party made their way through the city had quickly morphed into shouts and yelling in the main halls. It almost always gathered a crowd, often of servants and frightened nobles, and a companion or two who would look at each other and question if they should step in. They never let it get physically violent, though each shouting match pushed them further toward the breaking point. Alistair was the first to reach it. 

“Fine! I’ll marry her! If that will make you happy, then I’ll fucking marry her,” 

“You’re dumber than I thought if you think that will make me happy!”

“I may be dumb but at least I’m not a heartless shrew who doesn’t fight for who she loves,” 

A loud slap resounded through the hall, followed by hushed whispers and gasps. Leliana pushed her way through the crowd and began to direct the crowd away, her bell-like voice telling them there was nothing to see and that this was private, though it was more Sten’s sudden presence in the doorway that got them to begin clearing out. Morrigan was next to push through, though she moved quickly to the warden’s side, her hands on shaking shoulders as she began to direct the tearing woman away. The witch looked up at the man and shook her head with a frown.

\--

She would always return to the Qunari’s side, it was the only place she really felt any semblance of normalcy. Morrigan would tread lightly and speak carefully, Leliana, Wynne, and Zevran would dote on her and constantly check up on her, Oghren had even begun holding his tongue around her, knowing it was his fault it had even ended up this way. Even her dog had begun to cling to her. At least with Sten there wasn't and changes in his behavior, though she did catch him staring every so often. 

She was often unable to sleep, no matter how often she tossed, turned, and adjusted herself in her bed. Rhys would look up at her from the floor and whine until she reached down to scratch his head and tell him to go back to sleep. More often than not, her nights would end with her going down to the kitchen in search of a stiff drink to help her sleep. She always found one. And then another. And yet another until the bottle was all but drained and she was left silently crying on the kitchen floor until one of the servants came in to start preparations for breakfast, always offering to take her back to her room. They were always offered a quiet please and thank you and, more often than not, a slurred offer of a quick tumble in the sheets. It was always refused, despite the blushes on their faces. She would then sigh and crawl back into bed and promptly fall asleep.

This night started the same as every other, tossing and turning, consoling the dog when she got up to leave, and making her way to the kitchen to drink herself under the table. The halls were colder than normal, causing her to wrap her robe around herself tighter, the thin tunic and breeches under it doing little to keep her warm. She pushed lightly on the door and, to her surprise, was greeted by a mildly surprised Sten leaning against the counter, a full plate of what seemed to be oatmeal cookies and a mouth full of said cookies. They stared at each other for a moment before Sten grunted and Terra let out a slightly too loud laugh.

“Sweet Maker, Sten. You really do love cookies,” She said fondly as she made her way to the larder to grab a fresh bottle of whiskey. Sten watched her closely as she came out, yanking the bottle’s cork out with her teeth and spitting it out onto the floor before taking a swig and hopping onto the counter beside him. “Don't worry, it's cute,”

“I was not worried,” He said firmly, raising another cookie to his lips and taking a bite. Terra chuckled and leaned over to affectionately bump his shoulder with hers. She lifted the bottle back to her lips and took another drink, coughing at the sting and bitter taste. She stared at the floor for a moment before looking at her friend and offering the bottle.

“Want some?” Sten stared for a moment before nodding and taking it from her then taking a drink. He handed it back without a change in his expression.

“It is weak. I do not understand how humans can drink this and still become intoxicated,” He offered the plate in his hand to her. “The drinks we have in Seheron are much stronger than this,” The woman beside him scoffed and glanced up at him briefly.

“Yeah, well, humans are weak,” She muttered bitterly as she took a cookie from the plate. She stuffed it in her mouth and washed it down with the drink in her hand.

“That may be true, but you are not. You are the strongest bas I have met since landing here,” He set the plate down on the counter and turned to her, leaning on the counter with crossed arms. “Yet here you are, attempting to drown yourself in this sad excuse for alcohol. Why?” She answered with a quiet, bitter chuckle and another drink.

“I'm still human. I'm still… So…” She took a deep breath and ran her fingers through her hair. She hung her head and sighed. “I don't think you'd understand, hell, I don't even fully understand,”

“Perhaps, but I wish to try,” Sten straightened himself and turned to face her, eyes moving to the bottle briefly before moving back to her face. The warden sighed and allowed herself to slump forward slightly, her arms resting on her legs.

“Have you ever been in love?” She turned her face to his just in time for him to frown slightly and look away. She smiled and kept her eyes trained on his face, studying his features. He was rather handsome in her opinion, it made her wonder about other Qunari. Were all the men as attractive or was he just lucky? And what of the women? Were they beautiful and elegant, maybe as rough as their male counterparts? She would have to ask Sten when this was over. Before he left. 

Oh. That's right. He… Was going to leave once this was all over. Sail back to his home across the sea. He was going to leave her and… Not come back. This thought made her heart throb painfully and her hand clench the bottle in her hand harder. Finally Sten spoke and brought her out of her thoughts.

“I understand the feeling, yes,” His expression visibly softened and morphed into something of a smile, though he did not look at her. Her brows shot up, the answer coupled with his expression surprising her more than her first encounter with darkspawn.

“I didn't expect that. You don't seem to be the type to fall in love. They must be pretty remarkable to catch your eye,” She began to wonder what kind of person they were. Did their beauty catch his eye? Their compassion? No, he would surely notice a person’s strength rather than their looks or mannerisms. “I must admit, I'm a bit jealous,” she muttered as she brought the bottle to her lips.

“Jealousy does not suit you, kadan,” He reached out and gently took the bottle from her hand, taking a drink of his own before setting it down on the counter. Something in his words made a soft warmth spread through her body, though she was convinced it was the whiskey at work. They sat in a comfortable silence for a few minutes before she spoke up.

“Imagine what it would be like to lose that person, and perhaps you will understand,” Her brow furrowed and she shook her head. “No, that's not quite right. Imagine it being your own fault. You push them away and into the arms of another because you know it's the right thing to do, though deep down you want to be selfish and keep them for yourself, no matter the cost,” her words had begun to slur slightly and her vision began to blur, she she couldn't determine whether it was because of the alcohol or the tears pricking the edges of her eyes.

“You put duty above your feelings, put your people above yourself. It is commendable,”

She brought a hand up to run her eyes. “Shit… I'm so stupid…” Then the Sten had the audacity to agree with her.

“Yes, you are,” He said flatly. The warden turned to looked at him with a frown. “As are all humans for letting these things plague their minds,”

“That isn't something you're supposed to agree with. You're supposed to say ‘No Terra, you're so much smarter than the other bas around here’ blah blah blah,” She shifted into a mocking tone as words left her mouth.

“I will not lie to you kadan,” He said with a sigh and returned to his previous position, lower back pressed against the countertop. “I will never lie to you,”

“Really,” She inquired flatly. He nodded. “In that case,” She hesitated, staring down at her dangling feet and gnawing at her lip for a few moments before starting again. “I want to satisfy my curiosity. Something's been gnawing at my mind for… Well, since Lothering if we're being honest, and just seems to get worse whenever Morrigan tries to-” She paused to snicker at her own words before they even left her lips. “When she tries to flirt with you,” She turned her face towards him slightly, her fiery hair falling into her face. “Would you ever have sex with me?”

She had half expected him to startle, look at her with shock, or at the very least flinch. He didn't move a muscle, only glanced down in thought before looking towards the far wall and responding with a quiet “perhaps I would, yes.”

The warden could feel her face heat up and her heart leap in response. They sat in silence as she processed the newfound information. Finally she slid off the counter and moved to stand between his legs, putting a hand on either side of him in a fragile attempt to pin him in place. They stared eachother down, eyes half lidded. 

“Sten,” She started. “Sleep with me,” Terra inched closer, pressing her body against his.

“You are intoxicated and your judgment is impaired,”

“Drunk or not, I know what I want,”

“I will not take advantage of you,”

Terra sighed and let her head fall forward to rest on his chest. “Please?” She asked with a pout as she tipped her face up to his.

“No,”

She sighed again, returned her face to its previous position on his chest and wrapped her arms around his waist. The pair stayed silent for a few more minutes before she began to speak again. “Can I sleep next to you then? No sex just… It's been hard not sleeping next to someone else,” 

“Your hound is not sufficient?”

“I prefer to sleep beside something that does not lick its ass and then my face,” 

The Sten couldn't help but let out a short chuckle. “Very well, I will allow it,”

She stared back up at him and smiled, hugging him tighter. “Thank you Sten,”

“Just for tonight,” He replied curtly, hesitating before bringing an arm up to pat her back.

“What would I ever do without you?” She murmured, mostly to herself.

“Die quite spectacularly, if I were to guess,” She could practically hear the smirk on his face and couldn't help it when her smile grew wider.

“I love you, Sten,” She whispered her words into his chest, as if trying to speak to his heart directly. She was unsure if he had heard her, but the lack of response made her think he did not.

Soon after they found themselves in the warden’s room, getting ready to sleep. 

The Sten stood in front of the fireplace and stared at the flames for a moment before moving to remove his shirt and tossing it onto the couch beside him. His hands moved to begin unlacing his pants but he stopped and simply hooked his thumbs into the waistband.

Terra stood beside the bed, hands lightly gripping the strings keeping her pants tied, staring at the man at the other end of her bedroom. Sweet Maker he was so muscular, he really could break her if he tried. No, he wouldn’t even have to try. Oh what she would give to touch him, even a little. She swallowed and let out the breath she didn’t even know she was holding, looking down at her ties when Sten began to turn towards her. She quickly removed them and moved to remove her shirt as well, but stopped herself and simply held the hem of the long tunic.

Sten watched quietly as the pants slid to the floor, exposing the pale skin hidden beneath them. Vashedan. He wanted to reach out and touch, it looked so soft. He kept his eyes trained on her as she pulled back the covers, though his gaze drifted to the soft roundness of her ass when she bent over. He clenched his jaw and turned his head away in an attempt to regain his composure.

“Sten? Are you coming to bed?” The warden asked as she slid under the covers, glancing up at the seemingly troubled man. “Is everything alright?” He simply nodded and made his way around to the other side of the bed.

“I’m fine,” He slid in beside her and laid back against the plush bedding. He glanced over when the woman beside him turned onto her side to face him, scooting closer and folding an arm under her head.

She looked up at him and smiled. “Goodnight, Sten,” She closed her eyes and buried her face into her arm.

\--

Morning came quickly. Sten awoke first, as he always does, and moved to get up to do his morning meditations but found himself pinned under a soft, unfamiliar weight. He looked down at the red haired woman who was practically laying on top of him. She was practically straddling his thigh and was using his chest as a pillow, as she seemed to like to do. Though, to him, the most peculiar part was that his arm was wrapped around her waist. Perhaps he was trying to keep her from rolling off him? Or maybe he was trying to get her closer. He slowly began to move his arm away but stopped when his movement caused the woman to stir, make a displeased sound in the back of her throat and nuzzle into his muscular chest before opening her eyes and sleepily looking up at him.

“Sten…?” She stared a little longer before putting her head back on his chest. “Mmm mus’ still be dreamin’,” She mumbled sleepily.

“No, kadan, you are awake,” His voice was quiet, nothing but a low rumble in his chest, his hand moving up her back to rub lightly. “But may I make a request?”

“Mmm?” Her own hand moved up to touch his chest, as if trying to convince herself it wasn’t a dream. 

“Will you get off of me? I need to meditate,” 

She let out a breathy sigh and used the hand on his chest to push herself into a sitting position, the blanket over the both of them sliding to pool around Sten’s thighs. At this point she really was straddling his thigh. “Will you come back to bed after?” He pushed himself up to match her, their chests nearly pressing together. His eyes trailed down from her face to the opening to the large shirt, which was currently leaving nothing to the imagination. He slowly reached up and adjusted the collar of the shirt, which was hanging off her shoulder, then let it drop down to rest on her hip. 

“I will,” He brought his other hand to her hip and began to lift her enough to set her on the bed beside him. Her response was a quiet, breathy gasp.

“I-If you were gonna move me yourself, why’d you ask?” 

“Manners,” He said simply as he began to climb out of the bed.

She scoffed and watched him move to the other end of the room and take his place in front of the fire, which was getting low. He reached for the metal rod beside the fireplace and a log and began to tend to it before settling down. At that point she decided to lay back down, though in his spot, hugging and burying her face into the pillow. She took a deep breath and let out a sound that could only be considered a moan.

She continued to lay still for Maker knows how long before she got impatient and sat up, pillow still held tightly to her chest, and looked over at Sten, who was still sitting in front of the fire perfectly still, hands in his lap. Terra stared for a few minutes before climbing off the bed and walking to his side. She bent forward slightly to look at his face. Yup, eyes were closed. She blinked and continued to stare before crouching beside him and setting the pillow on the other side of her. For the next 5 minutes she went between staring at the fire, staring at the man beside her with her knees hugged to her chest, and picking at the rug under them. The Sten finally said something when she reached up to move one of his braids.

“Are all humans this impatient?”

“Are you done yet? You’ve been sitting here forever,” Sten sighed and looked over at the woman, who was hugging her knees and staring up at him with big eyes. “I’m bored,”

“Then sleep,”

“Bed’s cold without you,”

“Use the blanket,”

“ ‘s not the same,”

“Kadan,” He was beginning to lose his patience, she could hear it in his voice.

“Sten,” She had lost hers long ago. She crawled in front of him and put her hands on his shoulders as she began to climb into his lap, moving his hands out of the way for him. She made a happy sound as she wrapped her arms around him and nuzzled her face into the crook of his neck, to which he responded with a low, feral growl.

“Do not-” He was cut off with a finger against his lips.

“Just keep meditating,” 

Sten frowned, but complied, his arms encircling her and hands folding into one another. They remained like this for another 20 minutes or so. It would have taken less time but each small, pleased sound or slight wiggle distracted the Sten and it would take him a moment to regain his thoughts. Eventually she had settled down and gone quiet, he had simply assumed she had fallen asleep. Though when he looked down at her, she was simply sitting quietly with a small smile on her face. She looked up at him with a raised brow.

“Done already?”

“Already? You were complaining that I was taking too long,”

“Yeah, well…” She trailed off and nuzzled her face back into his neck, obviously not learning her lesson from the last time. “I missed you, ‘s all,”

“Kadan…” He stared down at her, brows knitted together in slight confusion.

“Hey Sten? What does ‘kadan’ even mean?” She shifted to sit up straight and look him in the eye. “I sure hope you’re not insulting me,”

“I would never…” He stopped himself for a moment when he remembered that he had. Several times. He shifted in his spot, resting a hand on her outer thigh when she very nearly fell out of his lap. “I am not insulting you. Kadan means ‘my heart’, or more accurately ‘where the heart lies’.”

They stared at each other for a minute. Then another. The warden stared for another after Sten glanced away.

“You… Have been calling me that… all this time… and never thought to tell me what it meant,” It wasn’t a question. Terra looked down at her lap and let it really sink in. It didn’t take long for her face to heat up.

“Yes well… You never asked, so I assumed you did not care. I will stop if it makes you uncomfortable,”

“N-No!” That may have come out too loud, seeing as when she looked up, the man seemed startled. “I um… I mean…” She sighed and turned herself in his lap, straddling him at this point. Her hands moved up to caress his neck and even farther to cup his cheeks. Her mouth opened as if she was going to say something, but nothing came out. It closed, but soon opened again, and once again closed. She knew exactly what she wanted to say but… Would he accept it? Would he still treat her the same? She sighed and looked down.

Oh Maker, she was scared. 

Apparently she had said that aloud because when she looked back up, Sten was frowning even deeper than before.

“I am sorry, I did not intend to scare you,”

“That’s not what I…” He went to move away but she held him firmly in place. “Not what I meant. It’s just that I... “ The words just wouldn’t come out. “If you had just told me then I could’ve… we could’ve…” At this point she was just getting frustrated, and so was he. 

“Would you just tell me what it is-” With a frown and a grunt, the warden moved forward and pressed her lips against his, and with that their hands were all over each other in a matter of moments. Hers moved along his neck and chest and arms and anywhere she could reach, though they finally settled on cradling his head and pulling him in. His roughly ran along her thighs, through her hair, and over her backside, which is where they stayed, massaging and pulling her closer. It wasn’t long until she shoved him back onto the rug with a moan and pulled away. When she sat up she took a deep, shaky breath.

“Sh-shut up and let me talk, wouldja?” He stared up with a half lidded gaze and nodded. “I… Shit. I love you, alright? Like, a lot. For a long time,”

“I noticed,” Sten moved to sit up, but was pushed back down. He had to admit, for such a small woman, she was strong. “You also told me last night, though I don’t believe you noticed, you were very drunk,”

“I didn’t think you heard that,” Terra chuckled nervously. “I wish you had told me sooner, this whole…” She drifted off, raising her hand and gesturing at nothing. “ _Thing_ could have been avoided,”

“No. It could not have,”

“I wouldn’t’ve gotten together with Alistair, I wouldn’t’ve fought with him, I wouldn’t’ve stooped to getting drunk every night, I wouldn’t…” She sighed and leaned forward, curling in on herself slightly. 

“You would have still fallen in love with him and would have still gotten hurt,” Sten brought a hand up to stroke her hair, staring up at the ceiling as he did so. “Such things are inevitable,”

“Yeah,” Terra nodded slightly. “I guess you’re right,”

\--

“What say you, warden?” Everyone in the room turned to look at her. She felt as if her mouth were stuffed with cotton. Loghain’s blood had only just begun to dry on her face, though she seemed to be the only one it bothered.

“I… Alistair and Anora should marry and rule jointly.” She said it. It had already been decided long ago but now there was no turning back. No chance of fixing her broken relationship. She refused to let herself look at the slightly pained expression on Alistair’s face.

“I want to stay with the wardens until the blight is over. She will need all the help she can get to defeat the archdemon.” All eyes turned to Alistair, though Terra turned to look at Anora, who nodded and looked to the arl.

“I agree, this isn't something she can do without him,”

“Ferelden needs a stable ruler as soon as possible,” Eamon looked to Terra, who glanced at Alistair before nodding slowly.

“I have all I need to defeat the archdemon. Alistair's place is on the throne,”

\--

“I’m going with her,” 

“Alistair, no-” 

“No. You may think she can do this alone, but I know it will take more than one warden to kill a dragon,”

“But we need you here,” Anora stepped forward, a frown gracing her features. “Don’t you believe she can do it?”

The warden in question stared at her former lover, arms crossed and brow furrowed. He looked back at her with his own frown, though it quickly softened.

“I do, I just… It feels wrong putting all of this on her. I am still a warden, it is my duty,” 

“Oh sweet Maker, Alistair, no, you have to stay here,” Teagan piped up, only to be interrupted by the Cousland girl’s raised hand, all eyes then turn to her.

“Just… Let him come. He is still a warden. You did say we need all the help we can get and…” She sighed and looked to Alistair. “He’s the best we can hope for,”

“Terra…” Alistair’s brows shot up, she offered him a soft smile before looking over at the eldest warden when he began to speak.

“She’s right, we will need the help,” Riordan said grimly. “Terra, Alistair, please come see me before you retire for the night,”

\--

The warden sighed and stood before her bedroom door, hand resting on the handle. She had agreed to slay the dragon. She was to sacrifice herself to save Ferelden, perhaps all of Thedas, if the blight got bad enough. She was to die. Finally she pushed the door open and raised a brow at the figure before the fireplace who turned to look at her.

“ ‘Tis only I, my friend,”

“Morrigan? Is something wrong?”

“Nothing is wrong. I would like to speak with you. I have a plan, a way out for all wardens,” Terra stepped into the room and shut the door behind her, brow raised in confusion. “I know what happens when an archdemon dies. I know a Grey Warden must be sacrificed, and that sacrifice could be you. I have come to tell you this does not have to be,”

“What do you mean?”

“I know of a ritual, performed on the eve of battle in the dark of night. It is old magic from before the time of the Circle. It… could be called blood magic,” 

“I’m listening,” 

And so, Morrigan sat the warden down. Told her of this... dark ritual. Terra sat with her hands folded before her, eyes on the floor as she listened. Her hands tensed when Morrigan requested that she convince Alistair to take part.

“Can’t Riordan do it?”

“Even if he could be convinced, I would need one who has not been tainted for long,”

“Would… would he even listen to me?” Her friend laid a gentle hand atop hers and offered a rare, comforting smile.

“He loves you, he would do anything to save you,” 

She looked at the raven haired woman beside her. “Very well. I’ll… I’ll talk to him,”

She found herself entering his room not 5 minutes later, a decidedly grim look on her face.

“Terra? Are you alright?” True to his loving nature, he rushed to her side, hands moving from her shoulders to caressing her face and back.

“I need you to… Do something for me. It’s very important,”

“Of course, anything,” This made her chuckle quietly.

“Morrigan knows of a way around… a way around dying from killing the archdemon,” 

“What? Really? That’s wonderfu-”

“There’s a ritual and you need to take part. You need to…” She took a deep breath before clearing her throat. “You need to sleep with her,”

“You’re joking,” He said with a smile and a nervous laugh. “I know you, you’ve got to be joking,” When she didn’t look up at him with her usual ‘jokes on you, you big idiot’ look, his smile faded. “You… You’re not joking,” 

She shook her head.

They stood in silence for what seemed like an eternity. 

“Does she know for certain it will work?” 

Terra nodded.

“I trust her,”

Then Alistair nodded.

“Then… take me to her,”

\--

The final stab into the dragon was surprisingly… easy. Its scales seemed as if they moved out of the way for the blade to pierce its skull.

She stood atop the beast, her eyes screwed shut and hands gripping her blade as tight as she could, the light emitting from it almost too much for her. Though, once it dissipated, she found herself looking out at her friends and allies. Alistair, panting and staring with disbelief. Morrigan, offering her a small nod before disappearing into the chaos. Sten, standing but a few feet from the dragon’s head with a small smile.

Terra could feel herself light up, and her body move before she could stop herself. It started with a small step back, then a large step forward, and then a running leap off the dead creature’s skull into the arms of her Qunari companion. Her arms encircled the man’s neck as his supported her from the waist, her face buried in the space between her arm and his neck, tears streaming down her face.

\--

The warden stood at the front of the crowd, her remaining friends by her side watching the future king kneel before the Grand Cleric, followed by Anora. Her eyes fell to the floor, unable to stand watching them stand beside one another for another minute. The Grand Cleric began to drone on about a king’s duties, or something like that. She wasn’t really listening at that point. She was focused more on trying not to think about how it was all over. She lost Alistair, she lost Morrigan, the rest of her friends were bound to leave soon after. Yes she had saved her home, but she was going to be alone. She took a small step to the side, ducking behind Sten before slipping through the closest door into the hall. Her jaw was clenched and tears were threatening to spill. It wasn’t long until said man came through the door, moved to her front and embraced her. 

\--

“We are all still here thanks to this woman. May I formally present Terra Cousland, Grey Warden, and, if I may say, hero of Ferelden,” Terra made her way up the steps and turned to the crowd, bright smile on her face.

\--

After the “official” ceremony, Alistair cleared his throat to get her attention.

“I believe congratulations are in order?” He offered a smile and his hand, which she shook. “I see Morrigan kept her word. Do you have any idea where she went?”

“No. As much as I already miss her, she told me she didn’t want to be followed and I respect her wishes,” She said with a sigh. They continued to talk for a moment before she turned, patted him gently on the arm, and began to descend the stairs. “I can’t let the people wait much longer, they might start to riot,”

As she made her way down the long hall, each of the people she had met on her journey stopped her with congratulations, warm embraces, and inquiries of her future plans. She would always respond with the same thing. “Only time will tell,”

By the time she got to the end of the hall, she was already exhausted, tired of all these people and questions. She just wanted to go back to her room, lay down, and just…

She glanced over at her barking dog, who was rolling on the floor and having his stomach scratched by Sten. She couldn’t help but smile when she made her way to the two, her eyes only drifting to the small grey dog behind them for a moment.

“You two look like you’re having fun,” She knelt down beside them and scratched her dog’s belly as well. He nodded and continued to play with Rhys. “So… How long are you staying?”

“There is a ship leaving for Par Vollen in 2 days,” They didn’t look at each other.

“Can I come with you?” She asked softly. He finally looked up at her with a raised brow. “There really isn’t anything left for me here,”

“You have a duty here,”

“If they need me, then I’ll come back. Until then, my place is with you, kadan,” Sten’s brows shot up, though he quickly forced them back down. “Don’t worry though, if that happens I will come back. You can’t get rid of me that easily,” She said with a laugh.

The sten rose to his feet and straightened his shirt. “Very well, you may accompany me. I will not wait for you if you are not there on time,”

“I’ll be there, don’t worry,”

“I was not worried,” 

\--

The celebration had finally come to an end, the main gates had finally closed, and the warden was saying her final goodbyes to her brother. 

“Come back to visit once in awhile, alright sister? And bring any young ones if they happen to exist,” Fergus said with a hearty laugh, he was quieted by a punch in the arm from a blushing younger sister.

“You’re insufferable,” She said with a sigh before pulling him into a hug. “I’ll miss you,”

And with that, he was off. Everyone had cleared from the hall and she was left with nothing but her thoughts.

A sudden clearing of a throat caused her to startle and turn to look at the man behind her.

“Alistair- ah… Your majesty,” She went to bow, but he stopped her with a raised hand and a shake of the head.

“Please, I may be king but you don’t need to be so formal. We’re still friends,” He turned and gestured towards the back of the room. “Can I talk to you? Privately?” 

“I… Um… Sure,” She followed him to the same door she had escaped the coronation through. The stood in the hall and stared at each other, Alistair attempting to spit out his words, and the warden growing more curious, and eventually impatient. “Would you say something already?”

“I- yes. Sorry. It’s just that…” He brought a hand up to rub the back of his neck, letting out a small breath that he didn’t know was being held. “I’m just so glad you’re still alive,” The raised hand moved to caress her cheek. “I think you should know that… I still love you with all my heart,”

The hero gave him a sad smile and brought a hand up to cover his. “I love you too, Alistair. I probably always will, even if it’s only a little,” 

“If… If you haven’t decided what you’re going to do after all of this then… Could I convince you to stay? Here? With me?” 

“I can’t, I’m sorry,” She took his hand from her face and held it tightly between them. “I’m going to Par Vollen. With Sten,” 

He let out a sigh and hung his head. “When are you leaving?”

“Two days,” At that point she began to idly rub the back of his hand with her thumb, as if trying to soothe him. “I’ll come back if I’m needed, but once my work is done I’m going to return to him,”

“Do you love him?”

“I do,”

Alistair raised his head to look into her eyes and offered her his own sad smile, raising his free hand back to her face and bringing her slowly into a kiss. She leaned into it, her hand coming up to cover his hand as she did before. When their lips parted, he pressed his forehead to hers.

“Please be safe,”

She couldn’t help but smile.

“I will,”

\--

“Kadan, there is a message for you,” 

Terra looked up from the book in front of her with a raised brow. “Who’s it from?”

Sten held the rolled up parchment out for her to take. “Alistair,” 

She let out an interested ‘hm’ and took the paper, leaning back on the small pile of cushions behind her as she unrolled and read the letter. Her expression softened at the words, but quickly changed to something that could only be called frustration. 

“It seems as if I’m needed in Amaranthine,” She said with a sigh, rolling the paper back up and tipping her head back. Sten sat beside her on his own cushion, crossing his legs and pouring her a cup of the freshly brewed tea that he had set on the table mere minutes before. “The area is apparently doing poorly and they need me to work wonders, I guess,” She raised her head at the quiet click of the clay cup being set on the table in front of her. She reached out and took the cup, bringing it to her lips and taking in the sweet spiced smell before taking a sip.

“I see,” He said flatly. She turned her attention to the man and gave him a small chuckle and a smile.

“I’ll be careful, don’t worry,”

“I was not worried,”

Her smile grows as she moves to crawl towards him and into his lap, gently moving the small table back a few inches. She brings a hand up to cup his cheek and pull him down into a kiss, innocent and chaste at first, but quickly deepening and becoming little more than an attempt to get as close as possible, hands groping and teeth nipping. They pulled away from each other panting lightly.

“I promise I’ll come back as soon as possible,” She leaned forward and pressed their foreheads together. “I love you,” 

Sten simply chuckled.

**Author's Note:**

> I'm a big sucker for those whole "Title said in the story" and "repeated phrase becomes something special to them" kinds of things. Also for a slightly more expressive Sten.


End file.
